1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to a light emitting module, and more particularly, to a light emitting module that includes a light emitting element and an optical wavelength conversion member converting the wavelength of light emitted from the light emitting element and emitting light having the converted wavelength.
2. Related Art
In the past, there has been a technique that obtains a light emitting module. The light emitting module emits light, whose color is different from the color of light emitted from the light emitting element such as a light Emitting Diode (LED), using phosphors or the like that convert the wavelength of light that is emitted from a light emitting element. Meanwhile, there has been proposed a technique that disposes a ceramic layer, which contains, for example, a wavelength conversion material, on the path of light emitted from a light emitting layer, in order to increase conversion efficiency when the wavelength of light is converted (for example, see JP-A-2006-5367). Meanwhile, in order to improve visibility without directing glare at a preceding vehicle, there has been a vehicle lamp that forms an irradiation pattern selected from a plurality of irradiation patterns by controlling the turning on/off of, for example, a plurality of LEDs (for example, see JP-A-2007-179969).
Further, for example, in order to obtain necessary light distribution characteristics, there has been proposed a vehicle lamp with small size and small weight that includes a planar integrated light source, a mask, and phosphors. The planar integrated light source includes LEDs, which are arranged on the surface thereof. The mask includes openings through which a light emitting portion is exposed to the outside. The openings of the mask are filled with the phosphors (for example, see JP-A-2008-10228).
For example, in a light emitting element where a substrate used for crystal growth and made of sapphire or the like is used as it is, light guided by the substrate is emitted from the side surface of the light emitting element. If the wavelength of the light emitted from the side surface cannot be appropriately converted, there occurs so-called color separation where the color of light of the light emitting element seen from above is different from that of light of the light emitting element seen from the side. In this connection, as described in, for example, JP-A-2008-10228, there is considered a technique where light emitted from the side surface of a light emitting element is reflected by a reflecting surface facing the side surface in a light emitting direction in order to avoid color separation. However, it is difficult to provide a wavelength conversion material in a method, which is disclosed in JP-A-2008-10228, of filling the openings of the mask with phosphors and hardening the phosphors when the wavelength of light emitted from the light emitting element is converted by a plate-like member such as a ceramic layer described in, for example, JP-A-2006-5367.